Miami Marlins: Top 5 Offseason Team Needs

The Marlins have a solid starting outfield of superstar Giancarlo Stanton along with youngsters Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna. After trading Jake Marisnick at the trade deadline, however, they have little behind those three. Depth is key to making a playoff run and injuries are inevitably going to happen. Thus, adding a quality fourth outfielder would benefit the Marlins. Someone like Jonny Gomes or Emilio Bonifacio could make sense.

Despite the heralded acquisition of Jarrod Saltalamacchia last season, Marlins catchers hit just .217/.301/.333 this year. Saltalamacchia will certainly remain the starting catcher, but the Marlins need some insurance if he cannot rebound from his disappointing 2014. Jeff Mathis, who posted a .537 OPS and 0.1 rWAR as the backup this year, is not a quality option. The Marlins need to go get someone a bit more reliable as their backup catcher.

The Miami bullpen as a whole was decent in 2014 as they posted a 3.33 ERA, good for 13th in the league. However, they constantly were shuttling guys back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues, and they had instability in their bullpen the whole year. In fact, only two relievers topped 60 innings pitched for the Marlins. Adding to their bullpen would give them some stability and allow relievers to slide into a set role.

Donovan Solano was the Marlins' primary second baseman in 2014, but he was underwhelming, hitting just .252/.300/.323. They do have youngster Derek Dietrich, but despite opportunities to establish himself over the past two years, he has been unable to do so, hitting to just a .697 OPS. Dietrich is still likely their long-term solution at the keystone, but the Marlins need an upgrade there until he is able to establish himself.

The Marlins have a solid crop of young pitching, but they lack a veteran to lead the way. The team has already been said to be interested in adding a pitcher this offseason, and that is how they could make a big splash. Someone like James Shields or Jon Lester will certainly interest the Marlins, but those two guys might end up out of their price range. Other options could be Brandon McCarthy, Ervin Santana and Justin Masterson.